Mozilla today made the latest update of its open-source Web browser, Firefox 10, available for download in Windows, Mac, and Linux editions. The update, the latest in the organization's "rapid release" program, improves the way the browser handles add-on updating, and adds a gaggle of new tools and capabilities for Web developers to use, which in turn, means more powerful and compelling sites for end users.

For example, the new browser version allows site creators to run their Web apps in full screen, and offers new 3D graphics capabilities—both of which are well suited to browser-based gaming, among other applications.

One of Firefox's hallmarks has long been its rich extension support, and many of the browser's users list that as the primary reason for choosing Firefox. Version 10 will make the browser and extension upgrades smoother, less interruptive processes for end users. Now, instead of requiring an extension to explicitly be marked by its coder as Firefox 10-compatible, the browser will assume that the extension is compatible if it was programed for any Firefox version back to version 4.

Before, the add-on would have been disabled, unless it was obtained through Mozilla's Add-ons for Firefox page. But Mozilla reports that 75 percent of all extensions in use were not acquired there. An exception here is binary add-ons, coded in compiled languages like C++, which, according to Mozilla's Wiki, "are never compatible between releases and are also the highest risk of negative side effects."

In another streamlining of add-ons, starting with Firefox 10, when an extension is updated by its developer, the browser checks every 24 hours "for a specific add-on ID and installs it if an update is found," according to the Wiki.

For the developer, Firefox 10 adds a scratchpad using the Eclipse Orion code editor and new Page and Style Inspectors that will provide detailed CSS information. Anti-aliasing for WebGL content will smooth out rough edges, and CSS3D Transforms will bring 3D animation to 2D objects. Finally of interest is support for full-screen Web applications.

Today's Mozilla blog post explains the Inspectors as follows: "With Page Inspector, developers can peek into a page's structure and layout without having to leave Firefox. This means they can quickly navigate between page elements and view the HTML document structure for the page. Style Inspector makes editing the style of websites even easier. Now developers have quick access to CSS properties and can view or change values for their website within Firefox."

One difference about this update that isn't related to any features or programmer tools is that it's the first Extended Support Release (ESR) of the Firefox browser. This is Mozilla's response to business IT professionals who were irritated by the difficulty of using the rapid release cycle in enterprise corporate environments. But an ESR version Firefox 10 will be maintained with security updates for a full year, so companies that rely on custom business extensions don't need to worry about updating and deploying new software every six weeks.

Speaking of long-supported versions, Firefox 3.6 also gets an update, but that version will be discontinued by Mozilla this coming April.

Mozilla's strategy for relevance seems to be showering Web developers with helpful tools. With the independent browser losing ground to Google's swelling Chrome browser of late, it's a strategy that probably makes sense, since Chrome has become the popular choice among end users, even despite recent outrage over Google's new privacy policy.

We'll still have to wait a while before the browser catches up with all its competitors in one anticipated feature. A helpful new-tab page like that in IE, Chrome, and Opera should appear in Firefox 12.

To try out the independent browser for yourself, head to www.Firefox.com, where you can download the browser for Windows, Mac, or Linux. For an in-depth evaluation check out PCMag's review of Firefox, which will be updated this week.

About the Author

Michael Muchmore is PC Magazine's lead analyst for software and web applications. A native New Yorker, he has at various times headed up PC Magazine's coverage of Web development, enterprise software, and display technologies. Michael cowrote one of the first overviews of web services for a general audience. Before that he worked on PC Magazine's S... See Full Bio

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